The seatbelt sign is flashing and yes! – you’ve totally scored a window seat. The stewardesses are shutting overhead compartments, the fat guy is situated in his aisle seat (thank God), and nobody is sitting in the middle seat to play elbow wars with! Life is pretty good. You’re just about to settle in and relax,but for some reason you can’t. Why not? Because there’s no soundtrack to kick off your flight. No, I’m not talking about Jock Jams. 

So, I have a secret confession to make. I know it’s against the rules, but sometimes I secretly put on my earbuds before take-off and camouflage them with my hair (tip for guys, you can hide them in your hoodie). I know, it’s so bad! But I only do it with an iPod shuffle, which to be honest, emits little to no radio wave frequencies.

Anyway, whether it’s for take-off or just after take-off - I have compiled a list of THE BEST airplane take-off songs for any situation you’re in. 

PARTY IN THE CITY
Scenario: You’ve been stranded in boringsville for awhile and had to move back home because you’re broke-ass from college. Luckily, you scored cheap plane tix and heading back to the city for the weekend! NYC, London, Paris, Tokyo, LA…
Track: City by Lo-Fi-Fnk
Best take-off moment: 00:30

BEACH VACATION
Scenario: You’re off to a tropical destination and fantasizing about the prospect of meeting a latin lover.
Track: Rebel Rebel by Seu Jorge
Best take-off moment: any part of the song is good

ADVENTURE TIME
Scenario:A great go-to song for a spontaneous, adventurous trips. I like to listen to this before a scuba diving trip or when I’ve just impulsively bought a plane ticket to a random destination.
Track: A-Punk by Vampire Weekend
Best take-off moment: beginning of the song

LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Scenario: We’ve all done it. Flying across the ocean, country, planet – to see that special someone. Seriously, if this song doesn’t make you feel love, then you’re dead inside.
Track: Helen by Nizlopi
Best take-off moment: 1:00

THE RED-EYE FLIGHT
Scenario: It’s been a long day at work and you’re jumping on a red-eye flight and in need of some major Zzz’s. This 10-minute track will surely ease you into a peaceful slumber.
Track: Svefn-g-englar by Sigur Ros
Best take-off moment: 00:18

YOU’RE GOING TO OUTERSPACE!
Scenario: You’ve totally hit baller status and somehow scored a seat on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceship ride to the Moon.
Track: Mr. Roboto by Styx
Best take-off moment: 00:42

STILL DRUNK
Scenario: It’s 11AM and you’re still drunk from last night – you’ve already embarrassed yourself by yelling at people and you’re wearing hangover sunglasses. You are still enjoying the buzz but eventually, you’ll probably want to go to sleep. Shhh….just go to sleep.
Track: Chicago (Acoustic Version) by Sufjan Stevens
Best take-off moment: hopefully you’re sleeping by then

NEVER-ENDING TRIPLE CONNECTION FLIGHT
Scenario: You’ve been flying for what seems like 30 hours straight, with multiple connections in-between. Delays, blizzards, lost baggage. You name it.
Track: Geography by Thao
Best take-off moment: 00:27

OFF TO COLLEGE BRO!
Scenario: You’re spreading your wings, growing up, fleeing the comfort of mom’s home cooked meals. Off to college and you can’t wait to be on your own for the first time! You just said good-bye to your weeping mother and even now on the plane you can hear her last words, ”Come back home soon!”
Track: Come Back Home by Two Door Cinema Club
Best take-off moment: 1:16

BACKPACKING EURO TRIP
Scenario: You’re embarking on an epic Euro trip with your buddies. Of course you’re going to need some awesome French music.
Track: Safari Disco Club by Yelle
Best take-off moment: Any part of the song but 1:40 is also excellent

RUNNING AWAY & LEAVING IT ALL BEHIND
Scenario: A great uplifting song for that time in your life where you say F IT, I’m leaving everything behind and starting over somewhere else.
Track: Seasun -Delorean
Best take-off moment:00:16 

COMING BACK HOME TO SEE FAMILY
Scenario: It’s probably the holidays and you’re coming home to visit the family – you have mixed feelings but it’s always good to see family. A lazy, half-hearted tune from the Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack.
Track: Wig Wam- Bob Dylan (Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack)
Best take-off moment: the whole song

Oh just slap me in the face right now. I haven’t updated this blog for what, 5 months? Dude, I suck! So here’s a recap of my traveling adventures since Coachella 5 months ago:

• ‘Nawlins (New Orleans, Louisiana). Stuffed my face with Po Boys (juicy sandwiches made with roast beef drippings) and beignets (fancy french name for hole-less donut). It was humid, sticky and had a hard time breathing with all that food in my belly.
• Amsterdam, Netherlands. Interviewed w/ my current employer, rode bikes, ate lots of hotchpotch (hutspot), and almost died in a fire accident while riding in the canals because our boat caught on fire.
• Truro, Cape Cod. Stayed at a lovely cottage called ‘The Wild Rose’ which made me feel like a giant. It was so tiny – a home for a hobbit. A typical yet cozy New England vacation where we basically ate, slept, drank, beached, and made S’mores.
• Eindhoven, Netherlands. Dude, I totally moved here! Got a new job pushing that social media button and now I’m living the expat life in my big ol’ Dutch house.
• Antwerp, Belgium. Such a beautiful city. Was taken here on a special surprise birthday trip (Thanks Davesaur)!

Wait whaaaat? Yeah. Letting it sink in. That’s right. I MOVED TO THE FRICKIN’ NETHERLANDS.

What is it like living in Holland Eindhoven as an American expat?

• You’ll get sexy Dutch legs from all that biking.
• You must focus on which arm is stronger and dedicate that arm to holding your umbrella while riding your bike. This is truly a Dutch skill.
• You get traveling ADD because Europe is at your finger tips and you want to go somewhere new every weekend!
• The Dutch proudly admit that they are direct & blunt. So I’ve learned to kill my inner human emotions in order to become more Dutch. And I’ve mastered the gutteral ‘gckkk’ sound.
• Your English will deteriorate faster than Payless shoes. Say goodbye to knowing perfect English based off what ‘sounds right’ because you will be listening to questionable English 24/7 (not pointing fingers at the Dutch or any country in particular, JUST IN GENERAL).
• Taxi cab drivers are allowed to yell at you. Your server will literally do their job title, and serve you food. Don’t expect anything greater than that in the customer service department. And if they go beyond that expectation, then you can tip them and it’s actually deserved, rather than out of obligation.
• Planning errands is a must. On weeknights, shops close at or around 6PM. On Sundays, EVERYTHING IS CLOSED, except for coffee shops. The Dutch know how to take it easy that’s for sure.
• As an expat, I’m constantly mourning these American luxuries: Trader Joe’s, cheap dry cleaning, dryer sheets, Amazon Prime, bank checks, NBA basketball, 24-hour stores, Target, delicious food in general, NETFLIX, not being banned from CBS, FOX and other tv channels online, bed sheets that don’t feel like paper, Pandora.com, cooking with a normal gas & stove oven, and El Palon burritos.
• You’ll learn that biking everywhere is the best thing EVER. So much better than sitting in traffic!
• As an expat you will be confused about EVERYTHING. ALL THE TIME. Just smile and nod.
• Trash disposal is a puzzle to me. My cardboard boxes refuse to be picked up and are left to rot in the rain. Thus I have stored these cardboard boxes in my shed. Also, it appears that there’s no plastic recycling pick-up. Sadface.
• It can be lonely moving to a foreign country all by yourself for a new job. Even if the city is teeming with expats and people who have gone through your experience, it doesn’t make it any easier.
• Anti-perspirant doesn’t really exist here, or maybe people just don’t use it – I know this because everytime I go to the gym I want to vomit from the mixture of human stenches. Also, to destroy my capacity to breathe further, the B.O. is pathetically masked by 5 gallons of cologne from Abercrombie & Fitch.
• R.I.P. STARBUCKS. It doesn’t exist in Eindhoven and I hear there’s only 2 in the entire country. The best coffee you can get is from Dowe Egberts, which opens at 1PM (wtf?!) on Mondays. *SOB*
• As an expat you will end up with a lot of junk-mail. Everything that can’t be deciphered in English (99.9% of the mail) ends up going into the trash.
• I AM CONSTANTLY THIRSTY. The beverage portions are the size of my thumb and cost as much as a 6-pack in the U.S. –  Like, 6-pack of 2-liter sodas! The only exception to this rule is BEER. 

Ok, perhaps I’m being a big baby and ranting (but I’m American damn it and I need my goods and convenience!). My experience as an expat in Holland has been very mixed so far, leaning towards extremely homesick for the US. But I know I have to give it time, and to be positive, blah blah blah. It’s amazing – I’ve traveled all over the world and have moved to different cities countless times – but backpacking, studying abroad, and vagabonding/couchsurfing have all been walks in the park compared to this experience of moving abroad for work and becoming an expat.

Desert. Endless miles of walking. Tents. Oven-baked porta-potties. Hydration stations swarming with sweaty humans. And of course, 200 live acts of eargasmic musical performances that will change your zen forever, man.

It’s a battle in the desert, so here are some tips on how to survive Coachella Music Festival and still enjoy your 3-day musical journey.

Camp out with your pants out

• SKIP THE HOTEL. Not only are you spending boatloads of money on top of the $350 RFID wristband, you’re totally losing out on the Coachella experience. Grunge it up, mingle with your kind, and don’t be a pansy. 
• DON’T PROCRASTINATE. Sensible Simon should tell you to purchase your camp site / car camping passes at the same time you purchase your Coachella ticket. However, most of us music-festers don’t know who Sensible Simon is and got ultimately  SCREWED when all these passes were bought up by evil scalpers. Instead of being sold for $75 at face value, you’d see them being sold on Craigslist for $150-$300! Hale-to-the-No.
• CAR CAMPING > TENT CAMPING. The way the lots were arranged this year, the tent lot was furthest away from the music stages – although it was definitely quieter, making it easier to get some sleep – it was SOOO FAR! In the desert, every step you take feels like an eternity. With car camping the lots are closer to the music venues and you can obviously pack a lot more supplies to help you survive Coachella – ie. coolers, beer, grills, blow-up dolls etc.  You can also easily fit 2-3 tents in one car camping spot. If you and a couple of friends get car camping passes – you could totally combine forces and build a giant mega-fort! Awesome! Only downside, if even – it’s a lot livelier and noisier, so you may not get all that much sleep (which is why you pack red bull).
• DANCE. NAP. DANCE.  Another reason to camp. You’re going to be so exhausted from all the concerts that you’re going to be so thankful that you can just walk to your tent and crash for a bit. If you stay at a hotel, you won’t be able to do this and you probably won’t enjoy Coachella as much because of the exhaustion.

ESSENTIAL ITEMS TO PACK

• SUNBLOCK. You’re in the desert! Do you want skin cancer? WHY ARE YOU WEARING PAINT ON YOUR FACE?  Don’t forget to bring chapstick with sun protection as well.
• SUNGLASSES. For obvious reasons. The laser show at night!
• WATER CONTAINER. Water is $2.00. Gatorade is $4.00. Coachella has hydrating stations with filtered water that’s FREE. I didn’t bring one and as a result I spent $100 on water in order to keep myself hydrated.
• WET ONES TOWELETTE WIPES. You may need this to take a “hippy shower.” Or after a trip to the porta-potty. This seriously was something I was glad to have with me.
• TAMPONS. They are like $7.00 for a pack of 5. Ridiculously expensive. Bring them for bloody noses, because of the dry climate weather. Yea…that’s it…
• COMFY, LIGHT, BREEZY CLOTHES. It’s hot. No need to dress to impress. 
• PANTS & HOODIE. The reason why the desert gets so hot is due to the thin atmosphere and lack of water. The heat penetrates through this thin layer making it very hot in the day. And guess what, at night the heat disappears and  it can drop to around 40-50 degrees.
• FLIP-FLOPS & SNEAKERS. Sneakers for long-distance walking and extreme bio-dome dancing. Flip-flops for the showers.
• UMBRELLA FOR YOUR TENT. This sounds weird, but if you can put some type of umbrella or another tent on top of your tent – you will be able to get some more shade. You couldn’t sleep past 7AM because the sun would penetrate the tent and singe your forehead.
• COLGATE WISPS. For those times you lose your toothbrush and yo breath seriously stanks. (Thx Sam!)

ITEMS YOU SHOULD LEAVE AT HOME

• Indian feather headdress
• Body/face paint (sweating + body paint = smelly hipster creature)
• Flannel shirt
• Gladiator sandals
• Babies (seriously, I saw babies there, wtf?)
• Frugalness – just face it, you’re going to spend lots of money
• DSLR cameras – unless you want it to explode

WHAT WILL REALLY HAPPEN

Why Couchsurfing?

• Meet awesome, worldly and OPEN-minded individuals that will probably tickle your cultural brain cells beyond your wildest dreams
• Couchsurfing.org is totally FREE for anyone to use
• All that money you’re NOT spending on hotels/guided tours can be used towards airplane tickets to more countries! WOW!
• You will find couchsurfers in almost every part of the world – even ANTARCTICA
• Get off the beaten path – staying with a native or a local couchsurfer from that country will most definitely grant you the insider’s scoop on wondrous, underground things to do – stuff you will NOT find in tour guidebooks (lonelyplanet = barf)
• Delicious food – a common activity couchsurfers indulge themselves on is cooking FOOD together! Exchange ninja cooking skills and recipes! Food is one of the most common areas in which people can connect on, no matter where you go in the world. Resist the golden arches, resist!
• Learn awesome, sexy, foreign phrases that will make people drool and fall over everywhere you go
• Hotels + tour guides + 5 years worth of salary = crappy traveling experience
• Stuff like this will happen to you, and yet you come home safe in one piece because couchsurfing is not that dangerous, I swear
• How many times in life will you get to meet an opera singer or a North Korean/German ambassador? Never. Unless you’re a couchsurfer like me…true story.

How to Start Couchsurfing?

1. Create your profile – don’t be a boring blank page w/ creepy blank photo – I know that if you stumbled onto my blog you’re probably super awesome & interesting (obviously, because you know me). So don’t be afraid to concisely state the reasons that may compel someone to host you / crash on your couch. Check out my profile for starters.
2. Build Credibility – To be less creepy, you need more positive references. Sometimes it’s a Catch-22.  How can you get positive references if no one will interact with you in person because your profile is blank and creepy? Start out as a host – join your local group’s “Last Minute CS” group. Since couchsurfers generally don’t plan very well, you’ll find lots of lost, wandering souls looking for places to crash in this forum. Save somebody, be a good host, then you’ll receive a positive reference! Woohoo! So easy!
3. Start Traveling – Before you book that sleazy, all-inclusive hotel – creep on some couchsurfing peeps. You will have to lurk a little and see who you think you might click with. Send a message or couchsurfing request with a personalized message (people won’t respond to copy & pasted messages).

How to be an AWESOME Couchsurfer?

• ALWAYS BE CONSIDERATE – If you’re the couchsurfer, act as if you’re the best roommate in the WORLD. Keep your sleeping area clean. Don’t clog the toilet. Ask before you use anything. Don’t walk around naked in your underwear (unless you asked them if they’re okay with that).
• OPEN YOUR MIND – Leave your judgement and negativity on the doorsteps. If you’re open and honest, people will be open and honest in return. And when both parties are open and honest – well…lots of fun adventures can happen. Like riding on mopeds to go wreck diving in Tulamben, Indonesia.
• RETURN THE FAVOR – If they cooked for you, clean up the dishes or take them out for a beer. Maybe you can bring a special gift from your country as a “thank you” token of appreciation for letting you stay on their couch. Teach them a new skill, or a dirty word in your language. Be an awesome wing man and hook them up with a hot chick.
• BUT DON’T EXPECT TOO MUCH – Okay, there’s a fine line here. Despite all the positive things I’ve said that couchsurfing has to offer – please don’t walk into somebody’s house expecting all these great things to happen, EVERY SINGLE FRICKIN’ TIME. You really need to exercise your perception skills and go with the flow of your host. They could be super busy and not have enough time to show you the sights – totally fine. Respect that these people have their own lives too. Or maybe your host wants to become your best friend and know every single detail about you. That’s fine too – cultural exchange is awesome. Just go with the flow bro….
• LEAVE THEM MAD PROPS – Dude, if you had a good experience – shout it out to the world! Leave them a glowing, positive reference. It takes you like 2 seconds. Just do it – and they’ll probably do the same in return.
• KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEM AFTERWARDS – if they are in your country traveling, don’t blow them off. Let them stay with you. It’s only fair.

Let me know if you guys have any other questions or suggestions! I’m totally open to them! If you want me to elaborate on a certain subject…I can definitely do that too. Happy couchsurfing!

I haven’t posted in awhile – with all the snow and moody Boston weather I have had a certain lackluster for reminiscing about my past travels. Meanwhile, I have been looking for opportunities to head back west where I can continue leveling up in toxic CO2 levels to fuel the tiger blood running through my blue veins. Ok actually, I’m returning as the prodigal daughter to be with my family and rebuild my career.

SO, I have moved on to Round 3 of the #Tigerbloodintern challenge to be Charlie Sheen’s Twitter Fiend. There are rumors that only 50 have made it to Round 3, but I know that’s false because I used my magical Twitter skills and searched hashtags/keywords and saw well over 400 tweets containing “#tigerbloodintern round 3.”

My applications for Round 1 & 2 contained phrases like:

• “I am the hurrichang, I will make it rain and flood your brain with awesomeness”
• “B.S degree. Yes I’m full of it.”
• “GPA 3.5, Marketing & Social Media Wizardry.”
• “I make doctors tickle.”

But Round 3′s application is a bit more serious in nature and I expect it’s because they’re trying to weed out the crazies/lazies vs. actual fierce tigerblood candidates. I’m not sure which category I fall into yet, but I expect that the candidate pool will decrease tremendously after this round. Besides, not many people will be able to make a bomb-ass video by this Friday.

Here are Round 3′s application instructions:

1. Create a YouTube video answering one of the three social media questions listed below. No video over 2 minutes in length will be considered. Only one video submission is allowed.
2. Dress professionally and take your answer seriously. Your video interview will be judged on quality of content and potential for community engagement.
3. Clearly introduce your topic at the beginning of your video.
4. After you have uploaded your video to YouTube, copy and paste your YouTube video URL into the box below and click SUBMIT. The deadline for submission is Friday night March 25th at 11:59PM PDT.

Below are the Round 3 questions:

1. If you were the Social Media Director for a major humanitarian aid organization, how would you create awareness and raise money via social media in the aftermath of a global disaster?
2. In your opinion, what is the best company using social media today and why?
3. How would you advise a candidate running for public office to leverage social media in his or her campaign for election?

We’ve already got one eager beaver posting his application on YouTube. And sometimescool’s. So – What do you guys think? Which question should I answer? Will I be able to K.O. this challenge out of the park? I THINK YES. #WINNING

So basically in 2011 I’m a failure. I had this magical life-long goal that I would celebrate New Year’s in a country I’ve never been to before every single year. I was successful the last two years in the UK & Ecuador. For some reason however, it just didn’t happen this year. I blame it on this ancient Chinese superstition – the curse of the Chinese zodiac (via Jenny). You see, 2011 is the year of the rabbit – and I was born during this year – so therefore, this will be a very unlucky year. And the only thing that will protect me are DRAGONS. Rar.

So here I go…!!! Unleashing the DRAGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try to find him in all the shots, it’s like playing where’s waldo?
Click to view slideshow.

His name is Fred – a tiny “grow your own” Dragon that I carried with me during my travels throughout China, Macau, and Thailand. He was given to me by my dear friend Jennio. Unfortunately, I lost him in China so I couldn’t take him with me on the rest of my travels around the world. Ultimate Sadface.

Okay, so my new year’s wasn’t ALL that terrible and it did have some international flair. I dressed up like a vivacious pilot wearing authentic Chinese aviator goggles at a fake airline launch party, which was held inside an old hangar tucked away in the warehouse district in Brooklyn, NY. I was accompanied by a British Top Gun pilot so I guess that’s as close as I was gonna get to kicking off the new year on foreign soil. Doesn’t beat playing with monkeys and shamans in the Amazon jungle like I did last year (which I hope to write about very soon).

Flashback Travel Moment:

While I was digitally rummaging through my photos I stumbled upon this funny parallel between two New Year’s experiences that involve a glimpse into my thug lyfe.

(ABOVE: New Year’s 2008 in London. BELOW: New Year’s 2011 in NYC)

Don’t worry, I try to keep my criminal activities at a minimum and offset this behavior by working at a healthcare company, “saving lives.”

1. Climbing Mt. Kinabalu with Will Ferrell’s Doppelganger and No Pants

After spending a week hanging out in Hong Kong during monsoon season, I thought it was time to get out of the muggy city rain and off to somewhere…else.  I took the extremely silent train to the Hong Kong international airport and boarded the first plane leaving to a South East destination – KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA!

When stepping down from the airplane I was hit in the face with the apocalyptic heat and humidity SE Asia is so well-known for – I had no idea what I was going to do or where I was going to sleep that night. No worries.

In the immigration line I realized I forgot to fill out a landing card – I kindly asked the man behind me to hold my spot in line while I grabbed a landing card. When I returned, the man asked me if I was an American – I took one look at him and I thought to myself, Oh my god, Will Ferrell’s doppelganger is hitting on me in the immigration line.

“Excuse me, are you from America?”
“Yup, I’m from California. You?”
“Oh, that’s awesome! I’m from Florida…what are you doing here?”
“Dude, I have noooo idea. What about you guys?” I looked at the small, sickly man standing next to him.“Well, if you’re looking for something to do – my friend Scott here got really bad food poisoning and can’t go mountain climbing tomorrow, so  I have an extra spot if you want to go.”
“Wait…there’s a mountain here?! OKAY, I’ll go!”

I was really lucky to meet Will Ferrell. Apparently you need reservations months in advance to climb this 13,435 ft. mountain during peak season.  Will and I exchanged emails and promised to meet at the “North Bus Station” at 7AM the next morning.

Well, as luck would have it – the “North Bus Station” doesn’t exist and it was actually called some other complicated Malaysian name. Spending too much time haggling and miscommunicating with cab drivers, I ended up missing the 7AM bus. When I finally arrived to the bus station my cab was SWARMED & SURROUNDED by touters –  I had to bat away the little brown hands that were grabbing at my backpack  and forcing me out of the cab – their weird aggressive way of showing hospitality. As a solo female traveler it was kind of an overwhelming experience and I was ready to judo chop anyone that would try and jack me.

I finally found my way onto a bus for $15 to the base of Mt. Kinabalu. When I arrived, the ladies at the front desk asked me for my reservation.

“Uh….I’m with P. Ranger.”
“But P. Ranger has left already with his guide. And Scott S. has canceled.”
“But…I’m taking Scott’s place. I have to climb the mountain.”
“But do you have a package?”
“No…but P. Ranger said it was Okay for me to climb the mountain.”

Oh, the power of name-dropping. After 15 minutes of saavy Changsuasion, I convinced them that I was fast enough to catch up with Will Ferrell and start the mountain climb alone.

I climbed for about 2 hours completely alone and was sweating my ass off. Should have brought my iPod. On my way to the half-way point Laban Rata, I saw little Malaysian men carrying backpacks twice their size while smoking cigarettes. I also saw some old ladies with canes. How the hell? I’m like dying.

I finally caught up with Will Ferrell at the half-way point. The half-way camp was filled with what looked like hardcore mountaineers. I wasn’t feeling sociable and gorged myself in Malaysian food and passed out at 7PM – then we woke up at 3AM to begin our climb to the summit. I had to buy gloves and rent a headlamp. Mr. Ferrell let me borrow his beanie and long socks. Everyone made fun of me for wearing shorts. So KIND!

4 hours later in the bitter, cold darkness we made it to the top! The sunrise was beautiful but I was freezing my ass off too much to enjoy it. I felt like a badass wearing only shorts, as I looked around the hoards of people wearing snowboarding-like gear. They had their hardcore hiking shoes; I just had my Aasics running shoes. Pfff, I did this in my sleep. Take that, old cane lady!

The terrain was so interesting – long stretches of flat rock and weird rock shapes that reminded me of Salvador Dali’s abstract paintings. It was really different from the bottom half of the mountain – all jungle-y and wild. Will was cracking me up, he kept filming himself while we were climbing the mountain as if we were in a documentary film. Will post videos soon.

Will & I decided to take on the WORLD’S HIGHEST VIA FERRATA! A 5-hour technical climb alongside Mt. Kinabalu – basically hanging off the side of the mountain with only 2 cables and a harness attached to you. It was fun, grueling, and not that hard compared to climbing UP the mountain. Check out the rest of the Mt. Kinabalu photos set.

8 hours later I found myself at the base of the mountain, saying farewell to Will Ferrell as he sped off to complete the next phase of the package deal: hot springs. I later found out that the hot springs sucked and wasn’t worth the money.

I was sitting by the side of the road with crystalized sweat drying on my forehead. Most people stay at the hotel after climbing the mountain – but me, I didn’t have a reservation. The area was desolate save a trucker-stop type of restaurant across the highway. I went in and asked if there was a way to get back to the city. Apparently they sell bus tickets but I could also buy it when I get on. I felt lazy so I just sat around waiting for the bus. But it never came.

2. So I hitchhiked.

As I loitered on the side of the road, these two Malaysian-born Chinese guys rolled up in a black SUV and asked me where I was going in broken English. I noticed that one of the guys was drinking a Guiness and had a tooth missing. I told them I needed to get back to the city, Kota Kinabalu. They were headed that way too……..So I hopped in their car. We got to talking and I learned that Mr. Gap-tooth was Andy, the #1 supermarket store-owner in his town – his competitive advantage? He’s the only guy in town that sells ice! The driver, who spoke better English – he wore a cheap plastic watch on his left hand with Tom & Jerry cartoon characters on it. You guessed it, his name was Tom. How could these two Malay guys have such Americanized names? Apparently that’s a common trend in Malaysia – they’ve all got American names. I soon realized this when the two random kids sleeping in the back popped out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me. These two little random Asian kids were named Amanda and Gregory. Normal panicked thoughts were going through my head: Okay, so should I save these kids…or…what the heck is going on? How tall are these guys? Can I take them? I can take them. I just climbed a mountain, will I be able to run? OMG.

Turns out, these people were the nicest ever! When we got back to the city, Andy picked up his wife Sandra and they took me out to dinner – Chinese style! They really appreciated that I was an American-born Chinese person, and they felt like they could relate to me – they couldn’t speak Chinese either. It was nice to eat Chinese food because in my opinion, the Malaysian cuisine wasn’t very good – kind of like vegetarian slop that’s been sitting out for awhile. I wish I had photos, but they were on my old iPhone which got stolen in HK. We’re totally Facebook friends now, though. So after I sid good-bye to my new pseudo family…

2.5. I Rode a Moped w/ Tamas &realized there was nothing to do in Kota Kinabalu. Except creepy Karaoke.

‘Nuff said. I peaced out shortly thereafter.

3. Scuba Diving Off an Old Oil Rig – Mabul & Sipidan Island

I booked a flight out of Kota Kinabalu and flew to Tawau Airport, the southeast side of Borneo/Sabah part of Malaysia. I hitched a ride with this Australian family and rode 2 hours to a dirty-ass town called Semporna, the rancid pit-stop that ALL people must stay overnight in, before heading out to Sipadan/Mabul Island for world-class scuba diving. Semporna is a tiny, heavily polluted town filled with dive shops and a couple of eateries and shops. Worst place ever, it totally sucks.

Next morning I hopped on a speedboat, and for about 40 RM (hefty price, I know) I was able to get a ride to Mabul Island, where I couchsurfed for the night. WORD OF ADVICE: If you want to dive at Sipadan, you should most definitely book a package deal including airport, transfer, overnight stay in Semporna/Mabul Island, dives, and back. It was the worst logistical nightmare to do it the way I did and the dive shops are very inflexible when it comes to letting stragglers like me mess up their system. I’m not a package-deal fan, but in this case it would have been easier.

Mabul is a micro-tiny island – you can walk around the entire island in 40 minutes, at a leisurely pace. One half of the island is occupied by a beautiful resort, the other half is scattered with poor rickety long houses made out of plank woods on stilts. Naked kids running around, the occasional stench of septic tank (at least there was one), and plastic trash along the beach. For an island that caters to the scuba diving community, it was shocking and surprising to see that the island and water around it was so filthy. Still, it was cool to see professional scuba divers and local islanders co-exist on such a small plot of land. I even got to watch a soccer match between the island-folk and was eaten alive by mosquitos. The best thing I saw on Mabul island were these two girls that caught a swordfish:

The next day I got a boat ride to Seaventure’s Oil Rig – man, this was like the Hilton of dive resorts in Malaysia. For about 500RM ($150) per day, you get unlimited house reef dives, 3 Sipidan dives, DELICIOUS FOOD all day long, A/C, towels, locker, scuba diving equipment rental and an awesome staff that plays a cover band. It was heaven to have life be so easy on this oil rig. I stayed here for about 6 days and didn’t want to leave! I got to see the blue-ringed octopus, one of the most venomous creatures in the world – as well as turtles, flamboyant cuttlefish, school of bumperhead parrotfish, and white-tip sharks. Check out my Sipadan scuba diving underwater photos – I used the Canon G11 Powershot with the Canon underwater housing. I also got to meet three lovely Norwegian boys, who I ended up visiting later on in my travels.

So that pretty much sums up one of my most spontaneous traveling experiences. If you have any other questions and if you would like more information on the places I stayed at, post a comment and I’d be happy to help you.

So how does one deal with the crushing force of ennui (another fancy word for BOREDOM) when coming back home after a long, eye-opening journey? Some people spend time catching up with old friends to reminisce about how much nothing has changed. Others flock to the watering hole at beer o’ clock, which can be any time of the day. I mean you’re global now, so even if you’re drinking at 6am there’s definitely a happy hour taking place somewhere in the world, right? Others cope with post-traveling gloom by taking up hobbies such as knitting, archery or blogging. And me? What do I do? I take pictures of my foot at work to ease the pain:

Yup. That’s my foot creepin’ up behind my computer monitor in front of me. Yup, I took a picture of it as an act of rebellion against office life and to feel like I’m being adventurous, within the confines of my 6 x 6 cubicle. Take that, office job.

I’ve been learning how to  cope with my post-traveling depression in other ways as well. Sometimes, I steal cones and give them rides to unknown destinations:

If I don’t get to travel, then at least that orange cone does. I mean, poor cone. You gotta feel bad for him – standing out there all day long begging for attention with his orange finesse. And what do people do? They just straight up ignore him! Knocking him over like he’s not even there for a reason.

So after 3 months of being back, I think I’ve learned how to cope pretty darn well. I mean, I don’t get to climb mountains or meet exotic foreign travelers anymore. But I do get to meet people like this guy:

Yea, we pounded fists. I think I’ll refer him to howaboutwe.com.

So, that’s how I’ve been dealing with my post-traveling ennui. What about you guys? How have you guys been coping?

Besides money, one of the biggest reasons why people are afraid to travel is fear of loneliness. Many refuse to travel unless they find “the ideal traveling partner” and as such are doomed to eternal pining and an unsatisfied soul. I know this because I used to be one of those people. Well, NO MORE! I’ve visited over 15 countries solo and have made tons of pseudo traveling friends all over the world – thus, I’m pretty much pro at this and have never felt lonely traveling. Below are some of my general tips on how you can find pseudo traveling friends everywhere you go.

General Tips:

1. Be observant. Look for any signs that may create common ground between you and the people around you. Look for people that are alone. If you really want to take the easy road, try to look for Americans. They’re generally the friendliest and most ignorant, I’ve found. It’s easy to spot them by the way they dress: sports T-shirts, baseball caps, and the rambunctious way they are laughing & taking shots at the bar are obvious red flags.
2. Eye contact. All you have to do is maintain eye contact for at least 3 seconds and smile. This is best in a bar setting,  but can also be applied in other public settings – like a coffee shop with free WI-FI (This is important! Fellow travelers are ALWAYS on the free WI-FI hunt, so you will definitely find a gang of them at WI-FI hotspots).
3. Ask for help. The best way to strike up a conversation with a stranger is to ask them advice questions such as: “Yo, do you know if that jungle tour is totally awesome?” or “Do you know where the nearest pickle store is?” and more importantly, “Do you know where’s the best and cheapest place to rage tonight?” Actually, my favorite time is when we picked up a British guy in Times Square that just got off the airplane. All he had to ask was “Do you know where the bars are?” And he was immediately invited to join us girls on an awesome bar adventure.
4. Be confident. Or as my friend Dan Gilroy once put it, “Walk into the room as if you have a 12-inch cock.” Sounds crazy, but it’s such a confidence booster. And people are drawn to confidence like Irish men are to whiskey. Scientific fact. And remember, don’t slouch.
5. Memorize foreign phrases. Build up a data bank so that you can spew out random foreign phrases when you meet people from these countries. My random knowledge of German, Japanese, Dutch and Chinese phrases has gotten me very far in life.
6. Be memorable & dare to be different. Wear something unique and brightly colored as a conversation-starter. I wear this owl necklace that people can’t help but caress and touch. Also, avoid being the first person to ask basic intro questions such as:  “Where are you from and why are you traveling?” Instead, talk about random, obscure topics like the scientific origin of eggplants or that one time you were hanging out in Inner Mongolia. Make yourself an interesting and compelling person and more importantly, make the other person ask YOU the basic intro questions.  As an interesting person they’ll want to get to know you and thus it will be harder for them to say ‘No’ when you invite them on a random adventure.
7. Think of an awesome event, place, or activity to do in advance. Try to bring it up in conversation and BAM! Pseudo traveling friend can’t resist your awesome adventure idea. For example, “Hey, did you know that the world music festival is being held in that rain forest 4 hours away? Wanna split a tuk-tuk?”
8. Don’t be afraid to spend some quality time with a stranger. Pretend that you’ve known this person for 10 years and it’s been awhile since you last saw each other. It’s only awkward if you make it awkward, you freakin’ platypus.
9. At first, always be gentle in your approach. Don’t surprise them or come off too aggressive by being SUPER energetic and eager when you walk up to them. Try to be quaint, respectful and non-prodding. If you’re at a loud bar, disregard this tip. Being loud and energetic in conversation is okay when you’re drunk and there’s a big crowd around.
10. DON’T BE CLINGY. This is a rule you should always follow in life. People, especially travelers, tend to flee at any sign of clinginess. I know I do. Be appreciative and revel in the adventure you’re having with this pseudo friend – but definitely don’t expect them to be around forever. If there’s chemistry and some type of cosmic force bringing you two together, then you’ll happily discover that you’re both coincidentally headed towards the same direction on your journey.

At the hostel:

1. When booking a hostel, make sure you choose to stay in the room with the most beds. Usually these are the cheapest beds, and it’s also a sure-fire way to meet other travelers like yourself.
2. Stay at a hostel that has its own bar. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with a drunk foreigner. Almost too easy.

At the airport/bus station:

Follow general tip #1 (Be Observant) and find people that are reading books that look interesting. Nonchalantly sit next to them and say, “Oh man! I’ve always wanted to read that book! How is it…?” And let the conversation slide from there. Note: Don’t approach those that are listening to iPods, these folks generally don’t want to be bothered and aren’t leaving themselves open to conversation. Only approach if they’re really, really cute and you’ve got nothing to lose.

On the plane/bus:

If there’s open seating on the plane, sit next to someone that looks like they’re your age and traveling alone. Usually they’re also solo travelers or at least open to conversation. Don’t be too bothersome….people need their space. Break the conversation by doing your own thing – but make sure you find out if they’re doing anything fun at the destination you’re headed towards and see if you can join.

On the Interwebz:

This should be at the top of the list – in my experience, using the internet as a resource has been one of the best ways to connect with other travelers on-the-go. I mainly use Couchsurfing.org or Travbuddy.com. As a last-minute, spontaneous traveler, I often don’t take the time to strike up conversations and will just post in the CS Last Minute Couch Request group in whatever country I’m headed towards. I usually get a few responses back, immediately. Check out my tips on How to Couchsurf or check out my other blog posts about couchsurfing.

Just remember:

Most people are afraid to take the first step. If you overcome your fear of rejection, you can overcome your fear of loneliness and solo traveling! Just know that you’ve got nothing to lose and even though you won’t always be successful, those pseudo traveling friends you DO make are going to be the best people you’ll ever meet in your entire life!

If you have any other tips or suggestions, please post a comment! OR if you want a live response, you can ask me a question on vyou.com!

I have had this conversation more times than Antoine Dodson’s remix song has gotten stuck in your head. Fo’ real. I’m not trying to boast. I’d  like to demystify popular belief that traveling is tough on the wallet and share with you how I was able to travel without a trust fund, still able to earn legitimate work experience, and graduate from college. I traveled to 21 countries in 4 years (.43 countries per month) and it only took a bit of luck, time, and a loooooooooot of BJ’s.

LUCK: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

I was fortunate enough to transfer from a tiny hick university in the Californian desert to the #1 co-op school in America. I got really lucky because when I chose this school I had no idea what a co-op was. For those of you that don’t know, a co-op is basically an internship on steroids that pays very well. Northeastern University has THE BEST network of companies that hire strictly from a pool of Northeastern students. I was a business marketing major and I did 3 co-ops and was paid around $20,000-$25,000 each year. Granted, I don’t know where 80% of the money went (burritos?) because I definitely did not spend that much on traveling. But that’s how I got some of the funds. Downside: I had to sacrifice my summer vacations. 6 months were spent working on co-op, the other 6 months were spent in classes.

Northeastern is also pumping out these great study abroad programs where you can take 2 classes abroad over the summer. For example, I took the last 2 classes of my college career in a tiny medieval village in Spain. I created a bronze cast of my boob (now featured in the lobby of Ryder Hall) and learned some inappropriate Spanish phrases while getting 8 credits out of it!

TIME: OPTIMIZE, CREATE or SACRIFICE IT

I am a creature of transit and have a strange paranoia of losing time. Although I had no summer vacations, every time I found an open week in my schedule I would find an excuse to travel. Downside: I started sacrificing time with friends and family at home. I made a selfish, life choice to pursue my passion in traveling and to actively keep global opportunities open. I still came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I would celebrate New Year’s in a different country.

BJ’s: BIG JETS & BIG JUMPS

When I was a Sophomore I decided that I needed to get with a BIG JET. So I signed up for a JetBlue American Express card and got a free flight immediately. I used the card to pay EVERYTHING – from $1 PBRs to thousands in tuition. I racked up some major points and got a bunch of free flights. I used one to fly from Boston to Colombia for free. Then I spent $3o0 from Colombia to Ecuador and stayed with my friend Stefi. Including the flight I spent a grand total of $650 for 2 countries, and 10 days of bungee jumps, Amazon jungle adventures, and chillin’ on the beach.  Not too shabby.

If you’re dedicated to traveling .43* countries per month then you must also take a BIG JUMP and DO IT ALONE. FLY HANS SOLO. You only have two eyeballs and two legs – it won’t help if you spend 50% of your time arguing with your soon to be ex-bf/gf on which museum will bore you the most. When traveling solo, it’s easier to make friends (you’re forced to). You can also go with the flow and have awesome places to stay for the future! For example, I met some friendly Norwegian dudes when I was traveling alone in Malaysia and then a few months later, I was able to have an amazing place to stay near the Fjords in Norway….for free! I also do a lot of couchsurfing – free places to crash around the world. This is where I saved a crapload of money. Downside: traveling alone can suck sometimes during long train rides. I will be posting more deets about how to effectively meet pseudo traveling friends later.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. Anybody can travel with a small budget. It just takes a bit of open-mindedness, due diligence in research, and the good times will roll.

If you ever need a traveling buddy – feel free to give me a shout-out on TRAVBUDDY or COUCHSURFING.

*Thanks Rafa for the calculation